Marko Versus the Living Dead
by Erzsebeth Bathory
Summary: Marko survives Edgar Frog's stake attack, only to find that Santa Carla has been taken over by flesh eating zombies. What's a lone, hungry vampire to do? This story is a continuation from Story #4 of my "Thirty Minutes" series.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** Due to popular demand, the short story from my "Thirty Minutes" series featuring Marko and zombies has branched off into its own story! I honestly can't say how long this will be, but it was a lot of fun writing out the very chapter. It's been a very long time since Marko spoke to me as a muse, so I was beyond thrilled when fellow readers wanted to read more. Please let me know what you think about this and once again, _**thank you**_ to everyone who reviewed the original story, because without you guys, _this_ story wouldn't have been possible!

 **Disclaimer:** _The Lost Boys_ is copyright (c) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and all others associated with legal rights.

* * *

"Marko Versus the Living Dead"

* * *

The last faint rays of sun shone upon the sign in front of the iron gates.

SANTA CARLA MEMORIAL.

Sensing that dusk made its claim over the skies, Marko opened his eyes. Hours ago, the vampire sought shelter from the day inside one of the many crypts. Despite the fact that the zombies took over the city for themselves, the cemetery was, so far, spared of any chaos. There was nothing but a sea of stonework and marble with their permanent residents undisturbed by the apocalypse.

As Marko climbed out of the old coffin he "borrowed" from its owner, who was nothing but a pile of old clothing and dusty bones on the floor, he debated on whether or not to risk finding a healthy, unaffected human to feed off of, or go to the Emerson household to see if there were any traces of David, Dwayne, and Paul.

 _Still can't sense anything from the others. I'm probably still weak from the lack of any real blood intake. Hard as hell to sniff out any human with this… whatever it is, that's making everything so fucked._

The air was thick with death. Under normal circumstances, Marko wouldn't mind it, seeing as how he was a creature of the night, but the aroma was extremely overwhelming and distracting. Going by what he saw when he first rode into town last night, it was no wonder the air was a potential choking hazard.

* * *

 _THEN_

* * *

Zombies, of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages, and in various stages of rot, were roaming the streets of the murder capital. It was a horror movie come to life. They shuffled, they dragged their rotting limbs, they moaned, screeched—all because something happened to bring the dead back to life.

Structures that weren't burned down were boarded up, while some had windows and doors busted, presumably from the horde wanting to eat the humans inside. Cars were lined up in the streets, abandoned, and a couple of them even had zombies trapped inside. The electricity was out, blanketing the city in darkness. There were signs of law enforcement having been present at one point, but just like the rest of Santa Carla, their efforts were in vain. Some of the zombies walking about were former cops and military soldiers. No matter what position they once held, in the end, they were all mindless freaks who hungered for flesh.

There was an abundance of dead bodies on the beach next to the boardwalk, many of them with numerous bite marks, all of them fatal. Some bodies showed self-inflicted gunshot wounds or other kinds of injuries that brought upon death. Marko recognized a number of faces: employees of the boardwalk, Surf Nazis… Now, they were just useless cadavers with gnarly looking abrasions that would put Hollywood special effects to shame.

Marko knelt down before a body where half of the skull was blown off, leaving a gory mess on the sand. He used his pinky to wipe up some blood before bringing it to his nose. He sniffed the contents and instantly regretted it, as it burned his nostrils. He jerked his head away and wiped the blood on the side of his chaps.

 _Shit, that is some foul smelling blood._

Dead man's blood was considered poisonous to vampires, but it was deceptive in that it could pass as fresh blood right before consumption. However, this was not the case. Whatever was in the air must have affected some of these humans right down to the blood stream. Marko was not willing to see what would happen if he drank _this_ blood.

The Lost Boy eventually made his way to the stairs that led to the boardwalk itself. Destruction and vandalism was visible all around him, and there was no sign of life. He tried knocking on the shutters of some of the small shops, but was greeted with silence.

"Where the fuck is everybody?!" Marko demanded with absolute frustration as he stood in front of the building that housed the old Looff Carousel. The ride was obviously not being used, but even in the dimness, Marko could see dark stains on some of the horses.

That was when the first wave of zombies emerged, drawn to the sound of his yelling and earlier knocking. They poured through the main entrance of the park, and from the alleys. Their ghastly wails were loud enough to rival the crashing waves of the ocean.

Marko knew he was going to be surrounded in no time, but he made the conscious decision to not use his speed to get away or even take flight. Instead, he stood there and patiently waited, just wanting to confirm what he heavily suspected. It came from watching many horror movies involving zombies.

Sure, he might move and sound like a human being, therefore the zombies assumed he was food. Once the first group was close enough to reach out and touch Marko, their instincts kicked in and they knew that he was not what they wanted. He was not food. He reeked of death just like them. Zombies had no use for other members of the undead. What they wanted was flesh from the living. What Marko craved was blood from the living.

These zombies were his competition for food. They were taking away what belonged to **_HIM_**.

Enraged by this very fact, Marko went on the attack. With his eyes aglow and his vampire features in full view, he lashed out at the nearest zombie with his claws. Its jaw was ripped from its lower face and it staggered back from the brute force. Marko then spun around and attacked another zombie. His fist sank into its cheek, its flesh cold and soggy. No matter where he turned, he was able to strike. Again, and again, and again. One would fall, and another would take its place. Marko didn't care. He just wanted to keep going, to keep attacking. He wanted to let out all of the confusion and frustration that built up in such a short amount of time.

 _How did this happen? WHY did this happen? How can these humans screw up this badly?!_

The walking corpses all around him didn't seem affected by the fight or the loss of their numbers. They merely bustled about in their eternal search for food. This infuriated Marko even more. He loved seeing his victims in agony, watching the fear in their eyes right before he would take their lives. These zombies expressed no such emotions as they were ripped apart with ease.

A pile of prone bodies surrounded Marko's feet, and he would have kept going with his butchery, if he didn't noticed the skies gradually turning light.

 _Fuck! Wasted my time with these assholes when I should've been…!_

He didn't finish his thought, as he needed to seek shelter. Going back to the cave wasn't an option. He needed to find his brothers, and they wouldn't be waiting at home.

Marko shoved past the zombies that were in his way as he hurried to where he parked his bike, just outside of the main entrance. It didn't surprise him that the thunderous growl of his engine stirred the infestation, causing them to move toward the noise. He momentarily thought about ditching his bike and taking to the air, but ultimately decided to just outrun the dead heads. In this new and uncertain world, he didn't want to lose his wheels to zombies or humans.

 _ **IF** I ever see any live humans around here,_ he thought grimly as he sped down the street, leaving the boardwalk behind. A group of zombies tried to follow him but in no time he was out of their sight.

Now, where the hell was he going to sleep? He couldn't risk trying to enter any of the stores or homes in town. He wasn't sure what he would find within, and frightened humans could come crashing in his chosen "safe haven," no matter how heavily barricaded he would make it, and potentially leave him vulnerable to the daylight.

 _Like hell I'm gonna let another mort get the jump on me,_ Marko thought bitterly as he vividly remembered that little rat bastard, Edgar Frog, and how he staked him during his sleep. Did he and his brother survive this hell on earth? Or were they zombies moseying about Santa Carla in search of flesh? Marko would love to get his hands on those two, alive or undead, and make them suffer just like he did and then some.

Oncoming daylight was fast approaching, and that was when Marko found himself coming up to Santa Carla Memorial. It was a vast cemetery that had been around since the 1860s. There were a handful of times the Lost Boys ventured over here because on the rare occasion, humans would sneak inside to perform weird, nonsensical acts they foolishly believed was to be arts of the occult. They were such easy pickings.

The main gates were locked and the chapel didn't appear to be touched by man or zombie. It was as if this place was forgotten by everyone.

 _Beggars can't be choosers!_

* * *

 _NOW_

* * *

Marko sat on the crypt roof, still wondering what to do. He was famished for blood, but ever since he emerged from the cave two nights ago, he hadn't seen a single living human. It was looking as if he would have to hunt animals to get any kind of proper sustenance. He could still taste the nasty tang of the rat's blood he drank before gaining the strength to leave the elevator shaft. Compared to the dead human's blood he sniffed at the beach earlier, the rat's blood was palatable.

He thought of the old hotel, remembering how he hadn't seen any of his pigeons. They could have left when shit first went south. Animals were always the first to know about these things.

With a frustrated growl, Marko stood up and gradually floated off the roof. He lifted himself just high enough to where he could see the landscape all around him. Santa Carla was consumed in near darkness, save for a couple light spots in different areas of downtown. They were most likely the hospital and police station with their own power generators. He wondered if there were humans fortified within those places, ones that weren't affected by whatever the hell caused this mess. The mountains and the woods were pitch black. The pillars of smoke Marko saw on the first night were gone, adding a hint of ash to the already toxic atmosphere. He couldn't help but wonder how many other cities were affected by this. Did the whole country, or even the whole world, have to deal with this, too?

Marko turned to face the direction of The Pogonip, the rural lands where Michael Emerson's family lived. The last coherent thoughts the vampire recalled before being left behind was centered on that house. David, Paul, and Dwayne must have gone there to get revenge. That area was just as dark as much of the world around him was, but that was the only real direction he had to go with.

 _Give me some kind of sign that you guys are there,_ Marko thought as he glanced over at where he hid his bike. Despite finding the cemetery to be a nice break from the zombie mess on the outside, he decided to keep his wheels out of sight. For now, it was time to go to Michael's house and hopefully reunite with the other Lost Boys.

 _These jackass zombies aren't going to take everything away from us!_


	2. Chapter 2

A black blur rushed past Marko's face as he descended from his flight. Looking over his shoulder just as his boots touched the sidewalk, he saw it was a crow with a dangling piece of bloodied flesh from its beak. He was close to breaching the entrance of the Pogonip Trails when the sight of what could only be described as a crimson lake caught his attention.

Blood was drenched all over the street, sticky and red, possibly thick enough to where someone could rent a rowboat from the pier and paddle across it. Dozens of bloodied footprints were spotted, all of them leaving the pool and venturing to all different directions.

Just ahead, the lush greenbelt that was the epitome of seaside terrace savannah laid in total darkness. Compared to the carnage that was Santa Carla, it was either a beckoning heaven or a hiding place crawling with zombies. Not that any of them would bother with Marko, but there was a strong possibility of him not finding anything alive and unaffected there to feed upon. Yet he chose to seek out David, Dwayne, and Paul rather than to feed himself first. He would soon find out which decision would have been a mistake.

Blood rippled from the corner of his eye. Marko turned and saw a surprisingly familiar face. It was the dark beauty who worked for Max in his video store, Maria. The tip of her shoe had touched the edge of the gory body of water. He was caught off guard by the fact that she didn't have any visible wounds on her body and while her clothes were disheveled, her eyes were no longer brown, but amber and inhuman… like a vampire's.

Well shit, no wonder Max had always been warning the boys to stay away from her. Out of all of the ones who worked for him, Maria had been the one that captivated their attention the most, and it wasn't just because she was attractive. There was something about her that drew them to her, something wild and untapped, and while she never shot any of them down when they approached her at work, she was able to keep her distance long enough for Max to boot them out of the store. She must have been told of what the Lost Boys were all about, otherwise she probably would have tried to attack Marko by now, thinking he was human.

"You survived, huh?" Marko called out to her with mild amusement in his tone. She was the last thing on his mind, but on the other hand, he was grateful to see someone he knew that wasn't a walking corpse. "Wanna fill me in on what the hell happened around here?"

"A lot of noise," Maria began almost quietly as she stared transfixed at the huge pool of poisonous blood. "I just remember waking up to the sound of someone trying to break into my place. Luckily it was just after the sun went down. I climbed out of my window and sat on the roof and just saw smoke and fire erupt all over town. People were screaming, running around, shooting each other, killing kids and animals, and just… it was like the world ended…! Everyone was trying to leave town but all the cars got stuck on the streets. People were getting pulled out of their cars, getting eaten, but then the ones who weren't devoured completely were coming back to life to eat more people!"

Marko gnashed his teeth. The world went to hell in a hand basket while he was struggling to crawl back to the brink of some form of existence in the cave. It sounded like Maria knew just as much as him, which pissed him off. While the old hotel was much more peaceful compared to the insanity of the outside world, it also lacked blood he could sustain without getting sick.

"Where are your friends?" Maria asked as she looked over at Marko at last, her features softening back to her human guise. "Are they okay?"

"It's what I'm gonna find out," was the curt reply.

He started to take off to the air when Maria called out to him.

"Wait! You aren't gonna leave me alone, are you?"

Marko laughed sharply as he spun around in mid-air and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not babysitting you. You're one of us, aren't you? Figure things out on your own."

In his mind, Maria was just more competition for food. He was already going up against a massive, countless horde of undead; he didn't need one more person adding to that opposition.

"Don't follow me, either," he warned in a tone that made Maria visibly seethe. It was amusing, but he was absolutely serious about making sure he would not have anyone tagging along.

Once again Marko took to the skies and flew to the massive domain of woodlands. Moving past old giant redwoods and foliage, surrounded by silence and gloom, the vampire almost forgot that countless dead people were wandering the streets in search of fresh, living creatures to consume. At first glance, everything here seemed normal.

Gunshot rang in the air and it was followed by a high pitched scream.

Marko stopped in the air and searched the ground a mile or so beneath him. Fallen oak leaves covered the earth and he watched as a couple holding hands ran across the trail. One of them was a man holding a shotgun while the other, a woman, was armed with a pistol.

The man collapsed to one knee and coughed violently. Specks of blood came out of his mouth.

"Come on, Jessie! Get up! They're coming!"

"I-I can't… I can't go on, Nora. Go on… Take my gun and go!"

"Not without you!"

That was when a swarm of about twenty ghouls flooded onto the trail. They were zoned in on the couple and Marko knew he had to act quick.

"Jessie, Jessie! Get up, get up!" the woman sobbed hysterically, tears now running down her face. "Please!"

She screamed violently when Marko grabbed her from behind and hoisted her up into the air. Right there and then, the zombies crashed down over the man like a massive tidal wave, swallowing him completely. The sound of distressed moans and flesh tearing was all that could be heard.

The girl shook uncontrollably in Marko's arms before going into shock, watching helplessly as this man she cared about was being ripped and torn apart. She didn't even register what had happened to her, and that was when her own fate was sealed. After a quick examination of her body, Marko's hunger erupted.

Sharp fangs bore into her neck to the point where she was nearly decapitated. Marko drank greedily, clutching her slender frame to where she couldn't escape even if she tried. Her blood tasted like the absolute best thing on earth. He made sure not to spill a single drop, sucking the life out of her. Normally he got a kick out of hearing his victims cry and beg for mercy, but tonight was all about survival and nourishing himself.

After some time passed, Nora's body was dropped like garbage. Her brittle corpse hit the earth with a thud, and the zombies instantly turned their attention to her. Marko watched in disgust as they grappled and shredded her from limb from limb to fill their never ending hunger. They were like a pack of hyenas finishing off the lion's kill.

Marko was in much better shape now. He was less irritable and able to properly focus on where his brothers were. He tried mentally calling out to them again, and this time, he felt a slight tug in a particular direction. There was no mistake that it was coming from Michael's house, and so he took off.

He followed the winding path lined on both sides by pine trees. It was far from town, but was it far enough to keep the zombies from wandering over even by accident? Panicked humans would go anywhere so long as they felt safe. There was a good chance any of them could have followed this route all the way to the house.

The old barn-house like structure came into view at last, surrounded by a wooden fence that resembled a line of giant stakes. He couldn't see any zombies anywhere nearby and the area was as quiet as when he first entered the Pogonip.

He made landfall and stood on the front step porch. The smell of blood hit him almost instantly, but unlike what he was surrounded by in town, this one made his stomach churn in a different way. This particular scent was familiar and it was most definitely vampire blood.

Thanks to dumbass Michael for giving Max the okay to be allowed into the house, this granted access for the rest of the family. Marko knew this, because before he lost contact with David, he knew they would all be going here to seek revenge. There was no hesitation or worry about getting in or trying to convince someone to let them in.

The front door was locked, but he happened to glance over at the window and noticed the curtains were drawn shut. As he walked across the porch, the old wood beneath him creaked. He heard movement from within and hushed voices.

 _"Oh no, they're outside!"_

Star. That traitor who couldn't finish Michael off like David wanted her to.

 _"Shhh! Keep quiet and don't move!"_

Edgar, that little cowardly shithead who staked him in his sleep.

 _"I-I'm scared, I don't want them to come in…"_

Laddie… The little one who had the potential to be like them.

 _"Don't worry, sweetheart, we won't let them."_

Lucy, the reason for this mess to begin with. If Max hadn't wanted her, if he hadn't forced David and them to recruit Michael, none of this crap would have happened.

Marko growled and was ready to just smash his way through the window when he heard David's voice call out to him.

 ** _Marko, not yet._**

 ** _David!? Where are you? Are you okay?_**

 ** _Play nice with them._**

 ** _Why? After what's happened? I want to...!_**

 ** _Marko, we need to play it cool… It's hard for me to keep this up… just trust me._**

David's voice faded, and somehow Marko managed to will his anger away. He never questioned David's orders, but it was going to be difficult not to want to gouge the eyes out of some of these humans.

Play it cool. Right. Marko sighed inward and forced his ego to take a back seat as he stood aside from the front door and used his knuckles to knock.

"Hey, wanna let a non-zombie into your house?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Nothin' doin'! We aren't letting anybody else into my home. Can't risk it. Sorry. Good luck out there!"

Marko scowled in annoyance. Old Man Emerson. He'd never met the bastard, but he heard stories about him, how he was potentially dangerous despite his age. He knew more than he let on.

"Dad, please!" Lucy urged, as she believed that upon hearing an actual voice, it wasn't a zombie trying to make its way inside. In her mind, it was someone who genuinely needed help. "We can't leave them out there to get hurt...!"

The old man wasn't budging on his decision. "Lucy, you can't show compassion in a time like this. It's kill or be killed."

Marko rolled his eyes and wandered about the old wooden porch. The Emersons were trapped like rats in their own home, but more importantly, he still wasn't sure exactly where David was located, or Paul or Dwayne for that matter.

He gazed out at the empty fields. Not a creature in sight, alive or undead. That might change soon enough if somehow any survivors made their way here or a random herd of zombies trampled along in search of flesh. If Michael's family were the only source of food left for miles, Marko was not going to give them up. As much as he wanted to torture them, the vampire slayers in particular, he needed them to last for as long as possible for their blood.

"You really can't turn me away this time," a voice teased from behind.

Marko turned and saw that it was Maria. She wore a thin smile on her face, and she had specks of blood around her soft pink lips. Compared to when he saw her last, this time around she was much more poised. There was an also an aura of danger about her and a gleam in her eyes that dared anyone to try and mess with her now that she wasn't working behind the counter having to deal with stupid customers anymore.

No matter, Marko was still annoyed. "Seriously? You followed me here?"

The feeling rapidly slid away when he remembered that Maria and Lucy were co-workers. If the family wouldn't open up for him, they would surely have to open up for Maria.

The dark-haired beauty winked when she knew that he caught on to her plan.

"Like it or not, we're in this shithole of a mess together," she pointed out as she casually strolled past Marko until she stood in front of the door. She brought her hands up and started slapping and pounding on the frame while crying out frantically.

"Lucy! Lucy, please! Let me in! My god, I don't want to die!"

Marko casually leaned on a post where he marveled at Maria's acting. Not only was she attractive, but she was also quick thinking. Alright, so Max picked out a good one for their family. Maybe if she'd been brought in before Star, she could've helped ease the other girl into their lifestyle.

The Lost Boy listened as a squabble broke out behind the closed door. Should they open up for Maria? What if one of those THINGS saw them? Could they really let anyone else in?

Minutes ticked by before the chains were unlocked and nails were being removed from the boards that consisted of their barricade. Even before the door could be pried open an inch, both Marko and Maria pushed themselves in.

Michael, who'd been flanked by Sam, Edgar, and Alan, were all knocked to the ground. The three younger boys were armed with weapons, but the speed of both fully fed vampires rendered them useless. The stakes and garlic were thrown aside and frantic cries filled the house. Grandpa pulled out a shotgun and was prepared to aim it at Marko, when Maria whistled at him.

"LUCY!"

Everyone turned to the direction of Star's panicky voice. That was where they saw Maria had grabbed Lucy and was holding her hostage. She held the older woman against her, with her arm around her neck, her nails elongated and aimed at the red head's temple.

"Don't make me hurt her," Maria warned.

Lucy winced at the tight hold but the expression of disbelief was all too visible. How could this be the same, lovely young lady she worked with at the video store? What on EARTH was happening?!

Marko kicked the door shut behind him and that was when he noticed the inside of the house for the first time. Much of the floors and walls were splattered in purplish-gray slime. Broken furniture and electrical equipment lay in shambles. Candles were used to offer ambient lighting, because the electricity had undoubtedly been knocked out with the zombie shitfest started. A big chunk of the fireplace was missing, as if someone had busted through.

A dismembered hand was seen among the mangled mess of what used to be a stereo and a familiar ring adorned one of its charred and gnarled fingers.

 _Dwayne..._

Marko's heart lurched in his stomach.

He sharply sniffed the air once and that was when inexplicable rage consumed him.

The air was thick with decayed remains of…

 _Paul!_

Pain erupted from his still healing chest that it nearly paralyzed him.

Dead… Oh, fuck… No fucking way…

They're both dead! Shit, shit, shit!

Both gone because of these humans!

No… this was all because of that stupid asshole, Max. If he hadn't wanted this idea of wanting a family that involved a mother, they would all still be around. Marko would still have his family. They could deal with Star and Laddie as half-vampires, but everyone else could just screw off out of their lives!

With a sharp, feral cry, Marko threw himself at Edgar and unleashed his uninhibited ferocity. He didn't even have to think of whom to strike first. Edgar Frog brought it onto himself. He didn't have to sneak into the cave like the rat that he was. He didn't have to climb up that ladder, and he sure as hell didn't have to deliver the near fatal blow. He could have minded his own goddamn business. He could have been far, far away from this madness, pretending to play hero elsewhere. Instead, he was going to see his own intestines dangle out of his own stomach.

Pinning him to the ground, Marko ripped at the teenager's flesh and tore through his limbs before the kid could even try to defend himself.

Star screamed and Laddie buried his face into the sofa. Michael tried to pry Marko off of him, but he earned a blood drenched slash across the face. Alan and Sam piled on top of the enraged vampire, but were thrown off for their efforts. The boys were hurled across the room and they slid across the goo that was once Paul.

A gunshot blast exploded in the living room, and everything and everyone froze.


End file.
